Rick Hudson - travel writer and author

Phote courtesy Dave McBeth, Kamloops, B.C.

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Submit an article | Subscribe to BC Rockhounder

The British Columbia Rockhounder
Official magazine of the
British Columbia Lapidary Society

Volume 7 -- 2004

Editor: Win Robertson

Published quarterly
Submit an article

Winter 2004
Yukon quest for emerald
Sarah Efran
An update of the 1998 discovery at Regal Ridge.

Jade Fever - Part3
Stan Leaming & Rick Hudson
The history of the BC jade rush - the Dease Lake District.

Understanding emerald
True North Gems Inc.
History and chemistry of this gem explained.

"Mawsitsit - (Kosmochlore-Jade)
A close relative of jadeite, found in Burma.

Ancient Afghan gold dazzles again
Carlotta Gall
NY Times article on museum-stored Bactrain gold relics, some dating back 2000 years.

The truth about gem smuggling
Lisa M. Ruth
It's happening everwhere. What does it mean? Written from a US perspective.

A consumer's guide to gem grading
Don Clark
Useful advice before making a gem purchase.

December 2004 backcover

Are some gems only half precious?
The semantics of naming gems "precious" or "colored".

You are a vision of an agate, dear
Shaul Tchernichowsky
Translation in part of Yiddish poem that refers to gemstones.

A peek into mummy's past
Lora Grindlay
BC Province story about the secrets revealed from an Egyptian relic.

Ripple Gem & Mineral Show
Gwen Langill
Show report.

Vancouver Island tailgate sale at Jonanco
Short report on October 3 event.

Mine Mine Mine
Field trip to Zeballos on Vancouver Island.

Meade Creek
Field report to hunt for laurel stone on Vancouver Island.

Finding fossils at MacAbee
John Bowman
Field report to this famous Cache Creek site.

Vancouver Island Zone Meeting

Hastings Centre Rockhounds
Marilyn & Marilyn
Two peoples' experience when joining and participating in a club.

Kamloops - October 1954
The birth of a club
Fifty years of club history are remembered, with meets, field trips and more.

Club Reports

Tucson talk
George Campbell
Humorous explanation of what they say, and what they really mean.

British Columbia Lapidary Society Summer Camp
August 1-5, 2005
Program at Puntzi Lake, Chilanko Forks.

Rendezvous 2005
May 20-23
Logan Lake program.

Club Shows - Spring 2005

Fall 2004
President's Report

Jade Fever - Part 2
Stan Leaming & Rick Hudson
The history of the BC jade rush - Omineca District

Golden hopes and broken dreams - Pitt Lake
Lost & forgotten mines of Southwest BC - Part 2
James Laird

Dinosaur tracks 'find' is old news to the Gitksan
Randy Boswell

Oregon Sunstone
The history of this lovely feldspar's development is recalled.

Good as Gold
Morgan Beard
Well-known gemmologist Joel Arem is promoting a new deposit of sunstone known as 'Golden Sunstone'.

When the Thompson River flowed east
John Ratcliffe
Just 9,000 years ago, glaciation changed the course of one of BC's greatest rivers.

October 2004 backcover

BC Lapidary Society - General Meeting
John Bowman
October 17, 2004.

Winlaw Summer Camp lives up to expectations
John Bowman
Report on summer rockhounding in the Kootenays.

Hill 60 - the quest for rhodonite
De Singleton
Field report on this Vancouver Island favorite.

Bear Mountain field trip
De Singleton
Field report on this site near Harrison Lake.

From the Gem Show Chairman
Cam Bacon
Update on 2005's show plans.

Summer Camp 2004
De Singleton
The beautiful and peaceful Slocan Valley.

Rock Candy Mine trip
Jan Boyes
Field report on a trip to this famous BC Interior fluorite site.

Field trip to Shannon Creek for chiastolite
Elaine Stupendick
Field report to this Kootenay mineral site.

Rover Creek field trip
Lewis Thompson
Gold and chrysocholla near the Kootenay River dam.

Rock Creek - a second view
Mary & Derek Harris
Field report.

A salute to excellence - Norma Wolfe
Gwen Langill
Long-time members of the Surrey Club, Norma & Don are recognized for their volunteering efforts.

Pow Wow 2004
Report on the Madras, OR rockhounding event.

Bowen Island update
James Laird
The Bonanza Mines have been staked again.

Vancouver Island Zone meeting
Report on the August 2004 meeting.

Interior Zone meeting
Report on the Vernon meet.

Lapidary
What's in a name?

Huckleberry Mines Tour
Mary Warko
Group tours this old locale SW of Houston, BC.

Rockhounders' alert - Petrified wood found at Monte Lake area
De Singleton
Exciting new finds SE of Kamloops.

Club Reports

2005 Field trips

Summer 2004
President's Report

History highlights
Lapidary Rock & MIneral Society of BC.

Jade Fever - Part 1
Stan Leaming & Rick Hudson
The history of the BC jade rush - Lillooet District

Meteorites:
Pieces of other planets.

New dinosaur bones found

Eternal Egypt
Victoria's Royal BC Museum hosts summer exhibit.

A second look at Tiger's Eye
Anne Sasso
A new study shows scientists had it all wrong.

My rambling memories of 50+ years
Phyllis Richardson
A member's active involvement in lapidary and club events.

August 2004 backcover

Chalcedony - a gem for the ages
Gordon Austin
One of the world's oldest gemstones constantly shows new faces.

Historic ruby district in Greenland
True North Gems of Vancouver is actively prospecting for Arctic corundum.

Rock Candy Mountain
Ken Dewerson
Update on this popular fee-dig BC property.

Catching on to Cachalong
Darren Arnold
A little known opal gets a taste of the limelight.

Famous fancy diamonds
Linda Crane
History of the Desden Green

Workshop safety
Mel Bright
Some good advice on what NOT to do.

Rendezvous 2004 - Penticton
De Singleton
Report on the May long weekend's activities in the Okanagan.

Hints & tips for rockhounds

Rendezvous 2004:
John Bowman
We survived Mt Laidlaw.

Rendezvous 04
Gwen Languill
Account of a busy weekend for the rockhound community.

Gemboree 2004
Report on the annual Vancouver Island get-together.

Rendezvous May 21-24 2004
Marilyn Goodwin
Report on the Okanagan May event.

Vancouver Island Zone Meeting

A salute to excellence
Ken and Ann Foubister's contribution to rockhounding recognized.

BC Gem Show
Gwen Languill
Report on the annual Abbotsford gemfest and activities.

National Gem, Mineral & Fossils Show & Annual Convention:
Eric Atkinson
The GMFC hosted at Cloverdale Arena in Fraser Valley.

Club Shows - Vancouver Island
Gwen Languill
Reports on Alberni Valley, Victoria, Courtenay Clubs.

Pow Wow 2004
Eric Atkinson
Account of this year's Madras, OR rock festival.

Club Reports

Field trip reports

Courtenay Gem & Mineral Club celebrate 40th anniversary
Sharron Brisebois
An active club looks back over four decades.

Club shows & sales

Spring 2004
Golden hopes & broken dreams - Bowen Island
Lost & forgotten mines of Southwestern BC Part 1.
James Laird
This small island close to the City of Vancouver has seen many mining initiatives since the 1860s.

Putting it on the map
Malcolm Bordass
Okanagan mountain named in honour of lapidarian Jim Laidlaw.

What is a pegmatite?
Discussion of this important gem host rock.

Tucson 2004 - fifty years on
Wanderer
The biggest gem show in the world celebrates its golden anniversary.

Precious Gems: the history of a concept
Richard W. Wise
The development of our appreciatiation of gems through the ages.

Maps, compasses and common sense
Jan Noble
Practical advice on staying un-lost.

Early bead trade in North America
Jeanette Welch
Short account of the importance of beads during early European-Indian contact.

Mar 2004 backcover

Are you ready to go?
Mel Albright
Good advice on how to make sure your rock collection isn't wasted when you are.

Almost everything you needed to know about ... taking care of opals
Ron Fulmer
Good advice on caring for the Queen of Gemstones.

Tick season is here
Ken Dewerson
The big scoop on these little pests.

How to speed up the cleaning of crystals
John Ratcliffe
Simple aquarium bubbler system makes a big difference.

Is it an original or a knockoff?
Meredith Arnold
The ethics of polymer clay debated.

Chert
Andrew Alden
A look at cryptocrystalline silica.

On False Creek
Peter Thorne
Construction in 2002 reveals earlier fossil material in Vancouver.

Socity General Meeting - Feb 22/04 Report.

Club Reports

Upcoming Club Shows

BC Lapidary Society Book List

Volume 6 -- 2003

Volume 5 -- 2002

Volume 4 -- 2001

Volume 3 -- 2000

Volume 2 -- 1999 Not available online

Volume 1 -- 1998 Not available online

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